Bert (1934—1956) was one of the most influential sires in the early years of the
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive even ...
(AQHA).
[Simmons ''Legends'' p. 115-116] He was posthumously inducted into the
AQHA Hall of Fame The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum was created by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas. Ground breaking construction of the Hall of Fame Museum began in 1989. The distinction is earned by people and ...
.
Background and early life
Foaled on March 24, 1934
[Nye ''Outstanding Modern Quarter Horse Sires'' p. 144-148] in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
, Bert was registered as number 227 with the AQHA.
[American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) ''Official Stud Book'' p. 86] His registration entry gives his breeder as Bert Benear of
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
and his color as brown.
[ His sire, Tommy Clegg was a descendant of ]Peter McCue
Peter McCue (1895–1923) was a racehorse and sire influential in the American Quarter Horse Association (or AQHA), although he died before the AQHA was formed.
Life
Peter McCue (foaled 1895) was registered in the '' American Stud Book'' as a T ...
while his dam, Mayflower, was descended from both Yellow Jacket and Yellow Wolf. Lady Coolidge was a dun
A dun is an ancient or medieval fort. In Ireland and Britain it is mainly a kind of hillfort and also a kind of Atlantic roundhouse.
Etymology
The term comes from Irish language, Irish ''dún'' or Scottish Gaelic ''dùn'' (meaning "fort"), ...
mare foaled in 1928, bred by Mike Beetch of Lawton, Oklahoma
Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Ce ...
. Her dam was a match racing
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.
In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consi ...
mare with a time of eleven seconds for the 220 yards. Bert's sire was used on the Benear ranch as a cowhorse before he was sold to Howard Martin.[
Bert was bought as a ]colt
Colt(s) or COLT may refer to:
*Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age
People
* Colt (given name)
*Colt (surname)
Places
*Colt, Arkansas, United States
*Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...
by Bob Weimer of Council Hill, Oklahoma who named his new purchase after the colt's breeder. Bert was broken as a three-year-old, but before he could start on a riding career, he injured himself in barbed wire, almost cutting his right front foot off. After a recovery lasting months, Bert was sound, but his owner did not feel that it was safe to work him hard, as the colt had been purchased mainly as a breeding stallion prospect. In his prime, he stood high and weighed close to 1150 pounds. Weimer claimed that he could "turn him out in the morning with the mares and drive out in the pasture in the evening with the pick-up and he will come to me as quick as I call him."[
]
Stud record and honors
Bert sired racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
s, roping horses, and all around ranch horses. He was the sire of eleven race starters, all of whom earned an AQHA Race Register of Merit.[Wagoner ''Quarter Racing Digest'' p. 95-96] His foal who earned the most money on the racetrack was V's Bert, who earned $2777 from forty-eight starts with five wins, twelve seconds and five thirds in six years of racing.[ He sired four AQHA Champions, as well as Superior Halter horses and Superior Performance horses. His daughter Jeanne's Patsy was the 1955 AQHA High Point Roping horse.][Nye ''The Complete Book of the Quarter Horse'' p. 77] His granddaughter Baby Doll Combs
Baby Doll Combs (1947–1960) was a registered Quarter Horse mare and a prominent rodeo horse.Close ''Legends'' p. 116 She was posthumously inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
Background
Foaled in 1947, Baby Doll ...
was a noted rodeo bulldogging mare[ known as "Baby Doll" who was inducted into the ]ProRodeo Hall of Fame
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...
in 1979. Bert died in May 1956.[
Bert was inducted into the ]AQHA Hall of Fame The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum was created by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas. Ground breaking construction of the Hall of Fame Museum began in 1989. The distinction is earned by people and ...
in 2007.
Pedigree
References
Additional sources
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External links
Bert at Quarter Horse Directory
Bert at Quarter Horse Legends
{{short description, Quarter horse stallion and sire
American Quarter Horse sires
1934 animal births
1956 animal deaths
AQHA Hall of Fame (horses)